A pair of crosses adorned with flowers still mark the spot on Heisley Road in Mentor where three people lost their lives in a crash last August.

The memorial, located between Perennial Lane and Whaler's Cove, serves as a reminder on two levels -- in memory of the victims and in warning to would-be reckless drivers.

And while state law technically prohibits placing unauthorized objects along the road, area officials say the law is rarely enforced except in rare circumstances.

Lake County law enforcement agencies, including the Sheriff's Office and Mentor Police Department, said they don't have any official policy on the memorials and generally let them be.

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"As long as it's not obstructing anyone's view or causing a traffic issue with being placed too close to the road, we don't have any need to remove or move them," Mentor Police Chief Daniel Llewellyn said.

In addition to city streets, the memorials often crop up along major highways including Interstate 90 and Route 2. State law gives the Ohio Department of Transportation discretion in regards to these.

According to Ohio Revised Code, "No person, organization, corporation, or group shall place within the limits of the right-of-way any object as determined by the department of transportation to obscure sight distance."

And though ODOT District 12 Spokeswoman Amanda Lee said crews often note the memorials whenever they're first spotted, they are often left untouched, provided they remain out of the right-of-way.

"If they were to blow into the road or something to that effect, that's when we'd need to remove it," Lee said.

Lee said there is no application process to put the memorials up legally and they usually appear suddenly and without notice. However, the state is willing to overlook the markers unless other motorists complain.

"If it's large and distracting we may ask the individual, if we can get ahold of them, to tone it down or remove it," Lee said.

In some communities, the size and longevity of such memorials have led to legislation in order to ensure the public's safety.

Akron City Council enacted a law just week to allow the markers to stand a maximum of 45 days before the city takes them down.

Any items at the site will be collected and saved for two weeks in case family members wish to claim them.

In Willoughby, Mayor David Anderson said his city does not actively seek out and remove crash memorials out of respect to the families.

"There really is no policy on (roadside memorials)," Anderson said.

"We always try to be sensitive to people's needs, especially when they're grieving."

The mayor said he's never heard any complaints about the roadside memorials, which tend to be small, tasteful and taken down in a timely manner.

"We've found these memorials generally tend to disappear after a reasonable period of time."